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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689011">Sum of Their Parts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/twohearts/pseuds/twohearts'>twohearts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community Organizer Kara Danvers, Gen, Genius Kara Danvers, Kara Danvers isn't Supergirl, Lesbian Kara Danvers, Minor Kara Danvers/Nia Nal - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:08:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/twohearts/pseuds/twohearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Superman had faced down giant robots, rampaging aliens, and more than one of Lex Luthor’s deadly weapons. He had saved the world countless times and the whole universe once. A family dinner should have been the least of his worries. Still, as Clark checked his watch for the tenth time in less than a minute, he couldn’t help feel that foiling an evil scheme was much more in his wheelhouse than talking to his cousin.</p><p>OR</p><p>An AU where even though Clark's the one who wears the cape, Kara is just as super.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clark Kent &amp; James "Jimmy" Olsen, Kara Danvers &amp; Clark Kent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sum of Their Parts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had initially posted this a few months ago and promptly deleted it. I've edited it since and am happier with it.</p><p>I wanted to explore being a symbol versus being part of a community. It's a concept brought up briefly in season 4, but that really grabbed me.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Superman had faced down giant robots, rampaging aliens, and more than one of Lex Luthor’s deadly weapons. He had saved the world countless times and the whole universe once. A family dinner should have been the least of his worries. Still, as Clark checked his watch for the tenth time in less than a minute, he couldn’t help feel that foiling an evil scheme was much more in his wheelhouse than talking to his cousin.</p><p>He adjusted his tie for the billionth time and removed his gaze from the empty chair across from him. The restaurant was packed, though that didn’t mean much given that Clark could count the number of tables on one hand. That was probably for the best though, given that Clark found himself pushing in his chair just to avoid being hit by his neighbor’s long back spikes. Any more tables and no one would be able to walk in or out.</p><p>As far as Clark could tell, he was as close to human as any of the patrons or employees came. The patrons varied wildly from the spiked fellow near him to a couple who looked like overgrown green cats to a figure that might’ve been made of rocks. The employees, however, all seemed to be of the same species. Their skin was varying shades of orange and hair a kind of auburn. They might have passed for horribly tanned humans if not for their cat-like eyes that were so green they made the radioactive glow of Kryptonite seem dull.</p><p>Clark slid his gaze to the empty table as a waitress approached to refill his water. He nodded his thanks when she was finished but still didn’t meet her gaze.</p><p>“They stand you up?”</p><p>Clark’s eyes flashed up at the sound. The waitress was cute; her auburn hair was cropped short but left long in the front, so that it framed her cherubic face. She couldn’t have been older than sixteen.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Did your date stand you up?” The girl nodded towards the empty chair.</p><p>“Oh god.” Clark sputtered. “No. Not my date. I’m meeting my cousin.”</p><p>“Fine. Did your cousin stand you up?”</p><p>“I hope not.” Clark attempted to laugh. It felt more like a cough and judging by the way the waitress grimaced, it sounded that way too.</p><p>“You want to order?”</p><p>“No. I’ll, um, wait for my cousin. Thanks.”</p><p>The waitress nodded and turned to another table.</p><p>Clark checked his watch again. It was nearly seven twenty. Kara was almost twenty minutes late.</p><p>He sighed. Maybe this was a bad idea. It wasn’t like they were close. It was just that he was in the area, visiting Jimmy for the first time after his move, and, well, Kara was family. Lois had said it was a great idea.</p><p>Clark checked his phone. A message from Lois telling him to have a good time, to say hi for her. God, he should have brought Lois.</p><p>Just when Clark was ready to leave, certain that Kara had either forgotten or just didn’t care enough to show, the restaurant door opened and a bell clinked out the arrival of someone new. Before Clark could even turn, the entire restaurant, patrons and employees alike, burst into a chorus of “Kara!”</p><p>Her hair was cut shorter than he remembered, falling just below her ears, and her eyes were a paler shade of blue than he had thought. Her round adolescent features had given way to delicate adult ones, though Kara had a kind of preternatural youthfulness about her. He doubted anyone would be able to guess her biological age without knowing her well.</p><p>She smiled and gave her greetings, but her face was flushed and her hands fidgeted with the trim of her jacket. If Clark didn’t know better, he would have said she was embarrassed.</p><p>“Clark.” She smiled and twisted out of her jacket to reveal a loose pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt.</p><p>“It’s nice to see you, Kara.” Clark stood to greet her, but Kara was already sitting.</p><p>“I hope you’re hungry.” She was already pouring over the menu.</p><p>“Oh yeah. Definitely. I mean it’s almost seven thirty.” Clark laughed as he sat.</p><p>Kara’s eyes flashed. Her menu might have strategically covered her mouth, but he knew that look well. It was the one he got from Kara at least once per family gathering. It was the one that Alex never stopped giving him.        </p><p>“I feel a bit overdressed.” He tried changing the topic.</p><p>Kara set the menu down and looked him up and down. For someone who was twelve years her senior, Clark never felt more like a child than when Kara examined him.</p><p>“I should have mentioned there was no dress code. Ultraviolet’s very casual, as I’m sure you noticed.”</p><p>“I kind of expected you to be dressed to the nines. I thought you’d be coming from work.”</p><p>“I did come from work. Just not the office. We were building homes for some newly arrived families.”</p><p>“Like Habitat for Humanity?”</p><p>Kara grimaced. “Yes, except since Habitat for Humanity decided it would only provide for humanity, we’ve needed to pick up the slack for the alien population. Especially those with special requirements.”</p><p>Clark nodded.</p><p>“It sounds like important work.”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>Kara slowly sipped her water and the cousins sat in silence. Before it could stretch on embarrassingly long, the waitress- the same girl as before- stepped up to the table.</p><p>“Hi, Kori.” Kara grinned.</p><p>“Hi, Kara. What can I get you guys?”</p><p>“Ooh.” Kara ran her finger along the menu. “An order of Komandus stew and some kriska’r, if you don’t mind?”</p><p>Kori nodded and turned to Clark.</p><p>The realization suddenly dawned on Clark that he hadn’t looked over the menu at all. He grabbed it, eyes roving the page. He had no idea what anything was. He hadn’t even bothered to ask Kara what kind of restaurant this was.</p><p>“Um, I’ll have…” He trailed off.</p><p>“He’ll have the same as me.” Kara piped up.</p><p>“Gotcha.”</p><p>“Except, Kori, make sure his is mild.”</p><p>“Whatever you say.” Kori laughed and turned away.</p><p>“You’ll thank me later.” Kara winked.</p><p>“I bet I will.”</p><p>Kara was looking around, seeming to enjoy the décor. Clark had to admit it was nice to see her relaxed. From what he heard from Jimmy, Kara was almost always working these days. What had started out as simple legal help for aliens had grown into a full-blown non-profit that offered everything from group therapy to apparently building houses. It was altogether very impressive, not that he expected anything less from Kara.</p><p>“You come here often?” He finally asked.</p><p>“J’onn helped resettle Kori’s family a few years back. They opened this place last year, only after we’d been able to recreate some of the crops from their homeworld in a lab. Alex was very helpful with that.” Kara smiled fondly.</p><p>“How is Alex?”</p><p>Kara’s eyes brightened. There were two surefire ways to get Kara excited: offering her potstickers and asking about Alex.</p><p>“She’s great. She and Kelly are hoping to adopt, but you know these things take forever. The medical practice is doing well, but she still finds time to help me with some projects on the side. How’s Lois?”</p><p>Clark thought. What was there to say? They were both still reporting at the Daily Planet. He was still beating up bad guys in spandex and a cape. They were thinking of taking a vacation to Niagara Falls and maybe buying a new couch. Good stuff. Normal stuff.</p><p>“She’s fine.” Was what he said.</p><p>Just then, Kori arrived with the food. The stew was piping hot and, as it turned out, kriska’r was basically crackers.</p><p>Kara watched as Clark took his first bite. Something chewy rolled around his mouth and he did his best to chew it up, even though it felt like it was sticking to his teeth. Finally, it seemed mushy enough to swallow. He grimaced as he felt it slink its way down his throat.</p><p>Kara waited expectantly.</p><p>“It’s, uh, good.”</p><p>Kara nodded, evidently pleased, and began digging into her own meal.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Not ten minutes later, Kara’s plate was completely clean and Clark’s was in a doggy bag. They both stood by the door, perched to leave, but before they could Kori’s father, a tall man with a beard far longer than anyone working in a kitchen should have, came out to say goodbye. He’d gone straight to Kara, pulling her into a deep hug.</p><p>“Thank you for the meal, Myand’r.” The sincerity was clear in Kara’s voice, even as she struggled out of the man’s hug.</p><p>“Come back anytime.” He finally freed her. “And bring that girlfriend of yours.”</p><p>“I will. I will.”</p><p>The bell rang as they exited.</p><p>“Wow. They really like you in there.”</p><p>Kara shrugged. “I guess.”</p><p>“No. They really do.”</p><p>Kara just shrugged again.</p><p>They walked a block or two without speaking. The light had long since faded, but there were ample streetlights, even if a few seemed to be glowing from what appeared to be non-earthly crystals rather than lightbulbs. Kara’s apartment wasn’t far from Ultraviolet. Clark knew enough to know she’d moved to this area when the non-profit had started growing. She liked actually living around the community she was helping.</p><p>“So,” Clark finally said. “A girlfriend?”</p><p>“Yes.” Kara kept her eyes straight in front of her. “Is that a problem?”</p><p>“No, of course not. I just didn’t know.”</p><p>“I’m not required to tell you everything. Besides, it’s not like we talk much. You hardly call.”</p><p>And there it was. He had been waiting for it, just as he did every time they met. It was like a game; how long would it take Kara to bring up the distance between them? Or that he had been the one to create it by leaving her with the Danvers? At least Alex wasn’t here to get in on him too.</p><p>“You don’t call either.” He felt his voice rising, his cheeks flushing.</p><p>Kara stopped suddenly.</p><p>“I tried calling.” Her voice was flat. “From ages 12 to 16, I tried calling and you picked up exactly twelve times out of two thousand seven hundred and twenty three calls.”</p><p>“Kara…”</p><p>“I’m not interested in your excuses, Clark.” She was walking again. Clark caught up with her easily.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” He said, but Kara just shook her head and continued down the street. “What do you want me to say, Kara?”</p><p>“I don’t want you to say anything.”</p><p>She’d stopped again, this time in front of an apartment building. It was grey, cement-style, and looked like it must not have been renovated in at least a decade. Of course this was where Kara lived. She wouldn’t want anything luxurious.</p><p>“Congratulations, Clark.” Her voice was flat again. “You walked me home. Very kind of you. You can go now.”</p><p>“Oh come on, Kara. This isn’t fair.”</p><p>But she was already walking up the front steps, key in hand.</p><p>“Give my best to Lois.” And with that the door slid open and Kara stepped inside.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Jimmy set the drinks down on the coffee table.</p><p>“I hope you didn’t waste anything good on me.” Clark smiled. He sniffed the drink. Yep, definitely alcoholic.</p><p>“It’s symbolic, Clark. Let me pop open a good bottle of wine for my best friend.” Jimmy took a seat next to Clark.</p><p>He had to admit, Jimmy’s apartment was nice. Two bedrooms. A bathroom. An actual dining area to go with the fully furnished kitchen and washer and dryer. It was good to see that his friend had done well, that moving across the country had been the right move.</p><p>“You know this won’t do anything for me.” Clark took a sip. It had a pleasant taste, even if it wasn’t much more than that.</p><p>Jimmy took a sip from his own drink.</p><p>“If you really want, there’s an alien bar a few blocks away. I’m sure we can find something there that’ll do it for you.”</p><p>Clark shook his head. “It’s alright. I’m not really interested in finding out what kind of drunk I am.”</p><p>They fell into comfortable silence, just sipping their drinks and enjoying being around the other. Unfortunately, silence made it easy for the mind to wander and as Clark looked around Jimmy’s new apartment, he found himself thinking of last night. He’d made an ass of himself, first by not knowing what would push Kara’s buttons and then by fighting her on them.</p><p>But there were reasons he didn’t call more. There was work, super and otherwise. There was Lois. There was Ma and Pa, who weren’t getting any younger. He had a lot on his plate, and it was clear that Kara had her own life as well. She didn’t need him.</p><p>That was all he’d wanted when he gave her up to the Danvers, for them to give her the tools to have a real life. And that’s what had happened. Mission accomplished.</p><p>He threw his head back. Then why did everything feel so wrong?</p><p>“Thinking about Kara?” Jimmy asked.</p><p>“How’d you know?”</p><p>“There are only two women who get you like this- three if you count Cat Grant. And one of them you just saw yesterday.”</p><p>Clark took a big gulp of his drink. It might as well have been water for all it bolstered his nerves.</p><p>“Did I do the right thing? Giving her up?”</p><p>Jimmy sat up and swiveled to face Clark. For a pretty big guy, Jimmy had a softness about him that Clark had immediately gravitated towards. He was delicate in his way, and maybe not soft-spoken, but what he said, especially in situations like these, always spoke to natural kindness.</p><p>“You did the best that you could at the time.” He said.</p><p>“She clearly doesn’t think so.”</p><p>“Don’t take this the wrong way, Clark, but you were kind of a mess when Kara first arrived. You hadn’t been Superman for long. You were just figuring things out with Lois. I don’t know how you would’ve taken care of a child.”</p><p>“But I didn’t even try.”</p><p>He set his glass down. He was suddenly so tired that he ached. And it definitely wasn’t the alcohol.</p><p>Jimmy set his hand on Clark’s knee.</p><p>“Do you think she’d give up her relationship with Alex and Eliza for anything?” He asked. “You gave her a family, Clark. One that could actually raise her.”</p><p>Clark shook his head. “I don’t know if that was enough.”</p><p>“You should’ve visited more. No doubt about it. But it’s not too late now.”</p><p>Clark closed his eyes. Why was this all so hard?</p><p>“Look what she was able to do without me? What could I possibly have to offer her?”</p><p>“You’re family. And sometimes that’s enough.”</p><p>Jimmy put an arm around Clark and brought him close. Clark could hardly feel it, but he appreciated the gesture.</p><p>“They do a potluck at the community center on Saturdays. I can ask Kelly what time. And you can be my guest.”</p><p>“I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?” Clark sighed.</p><p>Jimmy was smirking now, even as he tugged Clark closer in.</p><p>“I guess you could always just head back to Metropolis and not speak to Kara again until- what- Thanksgiving? And then go through the same argument all over again?”</p><p>And he could do that. He really could. He’d been doing just that for the last decade.</p><p>He shook his head.</p><p>Kara had turned out fine. Better than fine. She was doing something amazing, something that he could never do.</p><p>Jimmy waited as Clark debated internally, never wavering from holding him close. Until, finally Clark shrugged him off and said.</p><p>“Do you think Alex will be there?”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Kara nudged the meeting room door fully open with the heel of her boot. In her arms, she carried boxes stacked upon boxes. There weren’t so many, at least not for her, but they were still cumbersome, and it took all of her agility to maneuver herself through the door.</p><p>“Need some help?” A bright voice said from behind her.</p><p>“I’m good, Mir.” Kara hobbled her way over to the nearest table and set the boxes down.</p><p>“It’s Miranda, Kara. How will I ever get used to it if no one uses it?” The volunteer appeared by Kara’s side and stuck a wiry arm into one of the boxes, coming up a moment later with a plush sheep.</p><p>“You’re right. I’m sorry, Miranda.” Kara turned to survey the room. In just an hour it would be crammed to the max with aliens and food, and right now it was woefully underdressed. Two rows of tables stood parallel close to the entryway, which would do well for all of the food that was to be brought, but beyond that the card tables still lay stacked against the wall and there were still decorations up everywhere from the prior evening’s children’s movie night.</p><p>There was a voice in the back of her mind that reminded her she could easily take care of this, but it was a small voice, one she’d practiced ignoring for years. No powers. That was the promise. Powers put people in danger. Look at Lois. Look at James, who had who knows how many scars from various kidnappings.</p><p>No powers. That was Clark’s thing.</p><p>“I don’t suppose Alex is here yet?” She asked.</p><p>“Not yet, though J’onn should be here any minute.”</p><p>Just then, the door opened. Both Kara and Miranda turned to find not J’onn, but James standing in the doorframe.</p><p>“James.” Kara ran up and enveloped him in a hug.</p><p>“Hey, Kara.” He smiled. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here.”</p><p>“Are you kidding?” Kara motioned him to follow her. “Everyone’s welcome. That’s kind of the point. Kelly’s not here yet, but…”</p><p>She stopped as another figure stepped through the door.</p><p>“Clark.” Her face was unreadable.</p><p>He held out a silver tray covered in foil and said. “It’s, uh, Ma’s famous casserole. Jimmy helped me get all the ingredients and we, uh, made it this morning.”</p><p>“Would have been here sooner, but the first one kind of turned into a flambé.” James was smiling. Potentially a little too hard.</p><p>Kara gave him a look.</p><p>Hokey midwestern nervousness flew off Clark as he conjured up a smile and said. “Everyone’s welcome, right?”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“It’s quite a sight.” J’onn noted, as he did every weekend.</p><p>He and Kara stood by the buffet, both with plates filled to the max with everything from tacos to pancakes to a Verullian slaw. They both made it a point to try a bit of everything. And while normally Alex liked to make cracks about Kara’s eating habits, today was a day for indulgence.</p><p>Around them, people ate and drank. Their conversations meshed and melded into an energetic hum that coasted around the room. Even to Kara’s sensitive ears, it was pleasant.</p><p>“It always is.” Kara responded, stabbing a piece of pancake with her fork. She watched as a Kirullian snapped a few sparks into existence to the delight of some children.</p><p>Her eyes drifted around the room. It was at capacity, potentially even a little bit over. Every table was full and more than a few of the larger aliens had moved outside to gab by the fledgling garden. She recognized about half of the room, which was slightly more than she usually did. Whether that was because she was slowly meeting more of the alien community or because aliens that knew her were more likely to come down to the center, she didn’t know. Right now she didn’t care.</p><p>The potlucks had been an invention of J’onn’s a few years ago after he’d come in early to the community center only to find Kara asleep at one of the card tables, papers scattered around her. It was his belief that they all needed a day to relax, eat, and just talk to people without worry.</p><p>That didn’t mean all concern went out the window; Alex provided a free clinic once a month during potlucks for those most in need of care, sometimes joined by Eliza if she was visiting. And every once and awhile someone, usually only the desperate or very new to Earth, would come to Kara asking for advice on some legal matter or perhaps just where in the city their species tended to congregate. But, for the most part, potlucks were just a reason to get together, and a moment for Kara and company to catch their breaths.</p><p>“Kara?” J’onn gently elbowed her.</p><p>“Hmmm?”</p><p>“I think you may need to rescue your cousin.” J’onn pointed to a corner of the room where an old T’Haran woman had wrapped all four of her arms around Clark’s and was dragging him towards her table.</p><p>“Can’t James?”</p><p>J’onn pointed to the other end of the room, where a group of Hykraian children were posing as James snapped some pictures.</p><p>“Fine.” Kara grumbled. “Why does he have to be so popular with the ladies?”</p><p>When Kara reached Clark, the T’Haran woman had sat him down beside her and it appeared she was scooping some of her food onto a fork to share with him. Clark, for his part, looked more bewildered than anything else.</p><p>“Hello, Ora.” Kara was all smiles.</p><p>T’Haran’s were short by nature, but even by their standards Ora was diminutive. She quite made up for her stature with the strength of her four arms and her “nice old lady” aura that Kara imagined would have had Boy Scout’s fighting to help her cross the street if Ora ever ventured out into other parts of the city.</p><p>Ora smiled, showing off her purple gums.</p><p>“May I borrow my cousin for a bit?”</p><p>Ora looked at Clark dubiously then back at Kara before nodding. She dropped her arms and Clark was standing before anyone could even blink.</p><p>“Thanks, Ora.” Kara pulled Clark back towards the buffet.</p><p>“Was she…?”</p><p>“Yes, she was flirting with you.” Kara sidestepped a wayward tail. She looked back. Clark was blushing. “Don’t feel special. She’ll be all over James once he slips away from the kids.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Kara shrugged. “T’Harans are a pretty amorous species and her husband died a year ago. Back on T’Har, she would have re-married immediately; it’s harder here.”</p><p>J’onn had moved to talk with some Djira, leaving the buffet table unoccupied. Kara sighed. Great. Where were Alex and Kelly? She couldn’t pawn Clark off on them, Alex would just start some kind of fight, but maybe she could at least use them as a buffer.</p><p>But, no, as she looked around she saw Kelly and Alex happily occupied a few tables away, talking to Miranda and her sibling Max. Max had been a psychologist back on Danmar and was attempting to get certification to continue their profession on Earth. Kara couldn’t well interrupt that conversation.</p><p>“I left my plate over here.” She waved Clark over to where she and J’onn had been talking. She leant back against the table and began to pick at her food again. Clark just looked around, his eyes large and wide. She wondered, briefly, if Clark had ever been in a room with so many other aliens. She knew that Metropolis had a small but growing alien community, but Clark Kent was human and had no reason to join them, and Superman was too busy fighting big world saving battles to spend time with any alien on the street.</p><p>Clark seemed to echo her thoughts. “I’ve never seen so many species together before.”</p><p>Kara could have made a snide remark about how hard it must be to see what’s going on on the ground when you’re always flying around, but she held her tongue. This was supposed to be her day to relax. She was around people she cared about, who relied on her; she had a reputation to uphold.</p><p>“That’s kind of the point.” She ended up saying. “There are decent populations of a few species, but for the most part it’s hard to find people exactly like you. This is as close as a lot of us can get.”</p><p>Clark nodded. His wide-eyed look had vanished and he was now looking around with a crooked smile on his face. If Kara didn’t know any better, she would have said he looked almost fond.</p><p>Kara picked at her plate as Clark continued to look around. Her appetite had vanished.</p><p>“It must be nice having this kind of community.” His voice was soft, almost wistful.</p><p>“It helps.” Kara admitted. And then to her surprise, Clark turned to face her. His eyes were that clear blue she associated with Aunt Lara, pulled down in that way that reminded her of Jonathan Kent, the one time she’d met him.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” His voice was still soft.</p><p>She turned away quickly. How many times was he going to say that?</p><p>“I told you…”</p><p>“No, Kara, please let me finish.” His voice was firmer now, perhaps not quite at Superman-level but close. She could feel the inspirational speech incoming.</p><p>Her gaze shifted between the tables. Families sat with their children on their laps. Friends laughed at jokes no one else would understand. Even her very human sister, sat with her girlfriend, discussing medical practices with a near total stranger.</p><p>And here she was rejecting her only cousin’s attempts at communication.</p><p>“Okay.” The word came out thick and dry.</p><p>In the corner of her eye, she caught Clark’s lips edge up into a smile.</p><p>“The reasons I left you with the Danvers were… complicated. I guess I thought... I thought it would be better for you. And I don’t regret settling you with them.”</p><p>Her eyes flashed up to him. He wasn’t looking at her anymore. She followed his gaze and saw that his eyes were on Alex. She was smiling, her arm wrapped around Kelly’s.</p><p>“The Danvers are good people. But I do regret not visiting, not taking your calls, not doing everything in my power to be your family.” He swallowed. “And then you grew up. And you were amazing. Look at all this, Kara. You are so much better than me. And I thought what could I possibly have to offer you now?</p><p>“And maybe you don’t need me. You have Alex and Kelly. And Jimmy. And J’onn. And that’s just the people I know.”</p><p>He paused and for a moment Kara thought he wasn’t going to continue. But then he did, voice edging even closer to that hallowed Superman tone.</p><p>“But I see Kara Danvers and everything she’s built, and all of her kindness, and I want to get to know her. I know I’d be better off with her in my life and, even though she’s far surpassed Superman in caliber, I hope maybe she’d consider letting me into hers.”</p><p>Clark turned to look at her then. His lips were pursed and his eyes were wet.</p><p>She blinked, just trying to process everything he’d said. He waited patiently, his deep breaths the only sounds passing between them for a few minutes. Until Kara pulled her chin up and let a small smile tug at her lips.</p><p>“You really think I’m better than Superman?”</p><p>“All I do is punch stuff.”</p><p>“Oh please, I think we’d all be a lot worse off if you let giant robots destroy cities.” Kara laughed.</p><p>She nudged him and the two cousins let themselves bask in this moment of happiness.</p><p>“Hey, Kara!” Both cousins turned to find Miranda pointing towards the door. “Nia’s here.”</p><p>A grin spread across Kara’s face. She turned to Clark.</p><p>“Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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